news-record.com

During these steamy days of late summer, nothing cools my overheated soul better than a tall glass of ice water or a refreshing dip in a pool. So, for the 10th annual N.C. trivia quiz, our focus will be on bodies of water and water-related information across the Old North State. Sharpen your pencils.

1. White Lake with its white sandy bottom is blessed with crystal clear waters. It has no currents, no tides, no hazardous depressions or any real dangers to swimmers. Consequently, it’s been labeled as:
a. North Carolina’s Best Vacation Spot.
b. The Nation’s Safest Beach.
c. One of the Travel Channel’s Top 10 Beaches.
d. AAA’s Safest Vacation Value.

2. North Carolina has 37,000 miles of freshwater streams. How many lakes are there that are 10 acres or larger:
a. 500
b. 800
c. 1,500
d. 2,500

3. Cape Fear flows into the Atlantic Ocean at the southeastern tip of Smith Island near the mouth of the Cape Fear River next to an area known as Bald Head. Which of the following names have also been given to Cape Fear?
a. Cape Fair
b. Cape of Feare
c. Cape Fayre
d. All of the above

4. The last reported native North Carolina beaver was seen in Stokes County — near a river no doubt — in:
a. 1897
b. 1997
c. 1939
d. 1959

5. The Lake Lure Rest and Distribution Center was opened in July 1943 to provide rest and relaxation for combat aviators and their wives and to deter combat fatigue. Which branch of the military opened and governed this center during its two-and-a-half year operation?
a. Air Force
b. Marines
c. Army Air Force
d. Army

6. Which of North Carolina’s man-made lakes is the largest?
a. High Rock Lake
b. B. Everett Jordan Lake
c. Fontana Lake
d. Lake Norman

7. At 30,000 acres, Lake Mattamuskeet is North Carolina’s largest natural lake. One of the “Carolina Bays,” this shallow body of water has a maximum depth of:
a. 5 feet
b. 8 feet
c. 12 feet
d. 15 feet

8. Which North Carolina waterfall holds the honor of being the highest waterfall east of the Rockies?
a. Linville Falls
b. Whitewater Falls
c. Elk Falls
d. Lower Cullasaja Falls

9. Rivers in the Piedmont have been valuable sources of water power for operating which of the following:
a. Gristmills
b. Cotton mills
c. Hydroelectric projects
d. All of the above

10. In the report “Test the Waters 2009,” North Carolina was listed as one of the six states in the U.S. with the cleanest beaches. Which of the following states is not on the list:
a. Alaska
b. California
c. Delaware
d. Hawaii

Answers:

1. b. White Lake near Elizabethtown (and where I vacationed as a child) is labeled as the nation’s safest beach.

2. c. 1,500. Most of North Carolina’s natural lakes are in the eastern part of the state while most of the lakes in the western part of the state are man-made.

3. d. All of the above. Cape Fear has actually been known as Cape Feare, Cape Fair, Cape Fayre, Cape of Feare and Cape of Fear.
4. a. The last reported native North Carolina beaver was seen in Stokes County in 1897. In 1939, 29 Pennsylvania beavers were released in the Coastal Plain. Stocking programs continued over the years and so many beavers have thrived in our state that trapping resumed in 2000.

5. c. The Army Air Force established the Lake Lure Rest and Redistribution Center (and several such centers thereafter) to help combat aviators recover from their grueling duties and to prepare for future assignments. During these recuperative stays, psychiatrists and surgeons also examined the pilots to determine their fitness for further combat.

6. d. At 32,510 acres, Lake Norman is our state’s largest man-made lake. It was opened in the 1960s.

7. a. Lake Mattamuskeet in central Hyde County is so shallow that farmers have tried unsuccessfully to drain the lake for years – as far back as 1789.

8.b. At 411 feet, Whitewater Falls on the Whitewater River in Transylvania County near Sapphire is the largest waterfall in the state and the highest waterfall east of the Rocky Mountains.

9. d. Rivers and even smaller streams in the Piedmont have been the source of power for early milling operations as well as today’s hydroelectric power.

10. b. The report “Testing the Waters 2009” says that states with the cleanest beaches included Delaware, New Hampshire, Virginia, Alaska, North Carolina and Hawaii.

Clean beaches, however, have become a rarity. In 2008, the United States had to declare more than 20,000 beach-closure or advisory days because of raw sewage and other water pollution that threatened the health of swimmers, and that was a 10 percent improvement over 2007!

Let’s all pledge to do our part to keep North Carolina’s waterways clean.

Thanks to the Web sites www. about.com and www.50states. com, and “Encyclopedia of North Carolina” for the facts and figures about this state.

Contact Cathy Weaver at CWeaverNR@gmail.com.